


Locked In

by evxdevo



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 16:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3656646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evxdevo/pseuds/evxdevo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla Karnstein does not fall in love.<br/>Carmilla Karnstein has transcended that naivety.<br/>Carmilla Karnstein finds a thousand reasons to hate every girl she comes across. It’s a precaution turned instinctive.<br/>Carmilla Karnstein would prefer to stab herself in the chest with a dagger until her veins run dry rather than let love kill her in the same way.<br/>In addition, Laura Hollis’ gaydar is weak as hell.<br/>(I got a prompt asking for instances of "near kisses" between Laura and Carmilla. Oops.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Locked In

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for nightmares, blood, and death :)
> 
> Also, headcanon that the blood in Carmilla's forever-coffin is Elle's.

Carmilla Karnstein does not fall in love.

Carmilla Karnstein has transcended that naivety.

Carmilla Karnstein finds a thousand reasons to hate every girl she comes across. It’s a precaution turned instinctive.

Carmilla Karnstein would prefer to stab herself in the chest with a dagger until her veins run dry rather than let love kill her in the same way.

In addition, Laura Hollis’ gaydar is weak as hell.

 

\---

 

“Seriously, do you ever go to class?” Laura tossed her bag to the floor, and Carmilla looked up.

“Bad day?”

“My history teacher is a jerk. But really, do you?”

“Yeah, sometimes.”

“Really? Because you pretty much never leave the room. Except at night.” Laura paused. “What, do you take classes at 3am?”

“Would if I could, cupcake.”

“What do you do in the middle of the night, anyway?” Laura advanced on Carmilla until she stood right next to her bed, a gleam in her eye that could only mean she had entered detective mode.

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. “Simmer down, cutie.”

“Don’t avoid my question.”

Carmilla smirked. “It’s none of your business, really, but if you must know…”

Laura sat down on Carmilla’s bed, leaning in eagerly. “What?”

“I eat children.”

“What?!” Laura jerked away, momentarily horror-struck.

“No, of course not,” Carmilla said, then grinned. “You believed me, though.”

“No, I--”

“You did.”

“No!”

“Don’t deny it, buttercup.”

By this time, Carmilla’s face was inches from Laura’s. Carmilla’s eyes fluttered to Laura’s lips and back to her eyes.

Don’t.

She turned away.

“Don’t you have homework?” Carmilla said, averting her eyes.

“Oh, yeah,” Laura said, and moved off the bed, “A ton. I can’t believe I have to do this group project for Lit. I’m going to end up doing all the work, like always, and to be honest...” Carmilla turned back to her book, doing her best to ignore Laura’s rambling.

 

\---

 

Locked. Locked lockedlocked. Locked in. She’s locked out. There’s a lock and it’s dark and Carmilla can’t see and she can’t find the key and she can’t turn the lock.

It’s one thing to drink and quite another to drown, though the essence of the activity is the same. Liquid, take it in, whether to bring you life or to steal it away, it’s a small difference, really, when you think about it. When you’re drowning.

Drowning in water is different from drowning in blood. You can’t love water.

Water doesn’t remind you with each panicked inhale that this is _your fault your fault_ , that you are _trapped trapped trapped_. Water doesn’t sound like Elle’s voice running and dying and dissipating on repeat.

The pressure builds up, up, up, so much blood filling Carmilla’s prison that it’s starting to feel solid, that it’s crushing her lungs, that she would scream if she could (but she can’t because there’s no air in her lungs)--

But she can.

 

Carmilla lurched awake, a scream tearing out of her throat. Her skin was still slick with blood. Not blood. No, sweat. She was sweating.

It’s still dark. She can’t see. Something’s moving behind the darkness. Something’s shifting and inching towards her, and her breathing is coming in deep, ragged inhales because she doesn’t know whether she’s still dying.

She’s still screaming.

 

“Carmilla?! Carm!” Laura flicked on the lamp next to Carmilla’s bed, illuminating the room. Carmilla blinked rapidly, her voice coming to a halt, still gasping.

“What’s going on!?” Carmilla shook her head. Laura continued, “Carm, look at me. Please, you’re scaring me.”

Carmilla turned slowly to face Laura. Blood ran down her chin from where she had bitten her lip. She steadied her breathing before she spoke.

“It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

“You were screaming bloody murder over here!”

“No, no, it was a joke, cupcake. Didn’t mean to frighten you.” She was beginning to find her footing. She gestured to the dimly lit room. “No monsters, see?”

“Don’t play that game with me.”

“What game?”

“The one where you pretend to be all apathetic and stoic when you’re obviously terrified and about to burst into tears.”

Carmilla glared. “Walk away, Lois Lane. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“I’m just-” Carmilla grabbed Laura’s wrist.

“Don’t pretend to understand things you don’t know anything about. Just-- stop acting like such a child and leave me alone.” She released Laura, who had fallen silent.

Laura made no move away from the bed. For a few long moments, she simply stood there, still as ice, before taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry.”

Carmilla didn’t reply.

“I mean, it’s okay. It’s okay to have nightmares.”

“I didn’t…” A hand on Carmilla’s shoulder made her trail off. She curled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Laura couldn’t help but think she looked like a child.

“It’s okay.” Laura lowered herself gently onto the bed and wrapped her arms around Carmilla, who tensed at the contact. She pulled away instantly.

“Sorry. No touching?”

Carmilla made an almost imperceptible movement of her head.

“Okay then.”

Silence settled over them in a way silence only does when it’s night, and when nothing one might think of saying is quite important enough to justify puncturing that palpable lull.

Time passed slowly, or maybe it passed quickly, or maybe it didn’t matter either way. Eventually, Carmilla snaked her hand out from under the covers and grasped Laura’s. Laura squeezed back lightly.

Soon, Laura found herself leaning back against the wall, passing in and out of sleep. Carmilla, too, had dozed off, still curled around her knees.

 

\---

 

“You’re going to take me to your mother.” Laura shrunk back against the wall, away from Carmilla’s darkened silhouette.

“No, of course not.” Carmilla made no move toward her, but didn’t step away either. The library was lit only by a few ominous candles hanging above the entranceway, giving the entire room an eeriness which seemed to seep through Laura’s clothes and make her hair stand on end.

“You’re tricking me.”

“Laura--”

“I don’t trust you.” Laura sidestepped away from her and pulled a pencil out of her back pocket. She held it in front of her like a sword. Carmilla raised an eyebrow.

“And if I were going to kidnap you, you would fight me off with a pencil?”

“I’d improvise.”

“Good thing I’m not going to kidnap you, then.” But Laura didn’t lower her pencil.

“Look, if I was going to take you to my mother, wouldn’t I have done so already?”

Carmilla stepped closer to Laura and ran a hand along her arm.

Laura shivered and stiffened her resolve. “Not if she’s made you a new offer.”

“What?”

“She’s going to kill you if you don’t bring me. Or hurt you. Or one and then the other.” Carmilla looked Laura up and down as she continued. “I really… I mean, I really don’t blame you for wanting to live.”

“Believe me,” Carmilla said, her voice barely above a whisper, “I’d rather die.” Her eyes bore into Laura, predatory and pleading at the same time.

“That’s a lie.”

“You think?”

“Why did you bring me down here?” Laura said, “If you’re not trying to kidnap me, why did you bring me here?”

“I didn’t…” Carmilla started, and then tried again, “We’re going to hide.”

“From your mother?”

Carmilla sighed. “Yeah. Worst plan I’ve ever come up with. Now please, will you follow me?”

“I’m not following you anywhere.” A crash resounded from overhead.

“Laura, please! We have to go now.”

“Prove it.” A wail that didn’t sound quite human echoed through the walls. Another crash.

“What?”

“Prove you’re telling the truth.”

“Oh, come on! We don’t have time for this!” A hissing sound rose from one of the shelves of books, and when Laura turned to see what was making the noise, she could see a black mist creeping through the stacks of books.

“Give me one reason to believe you’re not trying to kill me!” The black mist twisted around their feet, contorting into shapes and symbols Laura thought, for a moment, that she recognized.

“Goddamn it, Laura! Because I love you, okay! For fuck’s sake, let’s go.” Carmilla turned to run, but the mist at her feet had solidified into a translucent kind of rope, binding her to the floor. “Laura!”

But Laura, too, was trapped. She tugged at the rope with her hands, but to no avail.

“Carm?” She called, as the mist began to cloud her vision.

“Close your mouth! Don’t let it get into your mouth!” Laura snapped her mouth shut, but the mist flowed up into her nose and ears, slowly stiffening and threatening to suffocate her. She felt Carmilla’s hand appear in her own as she fell to her knees.

Carmilla squeezed Laura’s hand roughly. “I’m sorry,” she said, “God, Laura, I’m so sorry.”

“Keep your mouth shut!” Laura pulled on Carmilla’s arm until she could feel Carmilla’s face close to her own.

“Laura, I…”

“Don’t.” Strands of blood-red smoke were appearing among the black, twisting gruesomely as they inched towards Laura and Carmilla.

They grasped each other tightly as the world closed in around them. Carmilla shook and cried out and scratched at the ropes, and Laura pressed her lips to Carmilla’s cheek, then to her lips.

Carmilla breathed into the kiss, and Laura could feel tears on her face. They slipped down Carmilla’s cheeks until Laura could taste them in her own mouth.

“This is it,” Laura said, not taking her lips off Carmilla’s.

“Don’t be so melodramatic.” But Carmilla’s nails dug into Laura’s skin as she clung onto her. The smokey tendrils curled and writhed around them, smouldering against their skin. Laura closed her eyes.

_I love you, too._

 


End file.
